PENGUINS HEAD TO OTTAWA ON THURSDAY FOR CRUCIAL CONTEST

The Pittsburgh Penguins return to action Thursday at 7:30 p.m. as they travel to Ottawa to take on the Senators.

FSN Pittsburgh will televise the contest at 7:30 p.m., while 105.9 The X will start its radio broadcast with a pregame show at 7 p.m. The broadcast may be found live through streaming audio on pittsburghpenguins.com as well. Tune in for Penguins Hotline following every game on 105.9 The X and the Penguins Radio Network. Join in the conversation with host Bob Grove by calling the Penn Telecom toll-free line at 1-866-922-2874.

Email crashthenet@pittsburghpenguins.com and maybe Bob Grove or Phil Bourque will answer your question during the second intermission of the game.

It is a crucial battle for the Penguins (45-24-11), who trail New Jersey (48-24-8) by three points in the Atlantic Division standings, 104-101. Ottawa (47-24-9) has a two-point lead over the Penguins, 103-101, for the fourth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Sidney Crosby owns an eight-point lead in the NHL scoring race with 117 points (36+81) in 77 games. San Jose’s Joe Thornton is in second place with 109 points (21+88) in 80 games.

Evgeni Malkin leads all rookies in scoring with 85 points (33+52) in 76 games. Colorado’s Paul Stastny is second with 73 points (27+46) in 79 games. Penguins winger Jordan Staal is sixth in rookie scoring with 42 points (29+13). He leads all NHL players with a 23.0 shooting percentage and seven short-handed goals, an NHL record for rookies.

Sergei Gonchar is second in scoring among NHL defensemen with 66 points (13+53) in 80 games played. Anaheim’s Scott Niedermayer also has 68 points (15+53) in 77 games.